Traveling southward, he tasted one breast, then the other. She gasped as if in pain and rose off the blanket when his teeth closed on a nipple, worrying it gently before giving the other equal attention.
Renee was mindless with the divine ecstasy wrung from her. The pulsing between her legs thrummed faster, harder, and she was afraid it would be over before he claimed her body. She reached for his hair, fingers tightening in the heavy strands.
“Please do it, Sheldon,” she begged hoarsely. “Take me, now!”
He complied, easing his sex into her warm, pulsing flesh. The turbulence of her passion swept Sheldon up in a flood tide of the hottest fire, clouding his brain. He was lost in the flames threatening to devour not just a part of him, but all that he was and he had hoped to become.
Then it came upon him like the whispered feet of a cat out of the darkness of the night. Feelings, emotions, sensations he had locked away when he’d buried Julia surfaced. The love he’d had for one woman, the love he was unable to offer another, trickled through the chasm in his heart, bursting forth, rushing and sweeping him up in its turbulent wake of realization as he surrendered all to the woman in his arms.
Renee welcomed the powerful thrusts, meeting each one with her own. Her hands were everywhere: in his hair, trembling over his broad shoulders, tunneling through the thick mat of hair on his chest. She wanted to yield to the burning sweetness that held her prisoner, but knew it was only a matter of seconds before she was forced to surrender to the raging passion lifting her higher and higher until she floated beyond herself. Her breath came in long, surrendering moans, and she gave in to the ecstasy.
The sounds escaping Renee’s parted lips became Sheldon’s undoing. Lowering his head, he growled in her ear as the explosions erupted in his lower body. The aftermath left him gasping and fighting for his next breath. It was a full two minutes before he was able to move, collapsing heavily to the blanket.
Renee rolled over on her side and rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her close, offering his body’s heat. “Don’t go to sleep on me, darling,” he whispered in her hair.
“I can’t move.”
“You don’t have to.”
Renee lay motionless while Sheldon pulled on his clothes, then dressed her. During the short ride to the house, she managed to doze off. It wasn’t until hours later that she remembered sharing a shower with Sheldon and his request to share her bed.
Around three o’clock she woke up and made her way downstairs for a glass of milk. She returned to the bedroom, finding Sheldon sitting up and waiting for her. There was no mistaking the concern in his gaze.
“Are you all right?”
Renee got into bed, straddled his lap, wiggling until she found a comfortable position. “I just went down to get a glass of milk.”
“You shouldn’t do that,” he crooned in her ear.
“Do what?”
“Sit on me.”
A sensual smile touched her mouth. “And why not?”
“Because you’ll find yourself on your back and me inside you…”
Her explosive kiss cut off his words. It was her turn to gasp as Sheldon gathered the hem of her nightgown, pushing it above her waist. He lifted her with one arm and joined their bodies, making them one.
Instinctively, her body arched toward him. The crisp chest hair teased and tantalized her sensitive nipples and she welcomed the erotic sensation. Writhing, she moved closer, rocking up and down, back and forth over his hardness. Why, she asked herself as she came down to meet Sheldon in a moment of uncontrolled passion, couldn’t she get enough of him? What spell had he cast over her that made her temporarily forget everything—even her name?
Sated, she collapsed against Sheldon, her lower lip trembling from the ebbing raw sensuality coursing through her. She did not know if the increase in her libido was from her being pregnant or from the realization that she was falling in love with Sheldon Blackstone.
In the six weeks Renee lived at Blackstone Farms, she had changed. The most apparent change was her body. Anyone who saw her knew she was carrying a child, and despite Sheldon’s reassurance that he found her more beautiful than when she’d first come to the farm, there were times when she felt clumsy and misshapen.
Since they’d begun sleeping together it was always in her bed, because despite their intimacy she felt something was missing in their relationship. Each time she opened her arms to Sheldon the love she felt for him deepened. Each time he brought her to the pinnacle of desire she feared blurting out how much she had come to love him.
She had asked Sheldon for friendship, a confidant; his proposition included companionship and a promise to protect her and her child. Falling in love was not a part of their agreement—that went beyond business.
Late the next afternoon Renee mounted the porch, opened the door and walked into the main house. Heat greeted her as she went through the entryway and up the staircase.
The door to Sheldon’s bedroom was slightly ajar and she heard him singing loudly. A knowing smile softened Renee’s vermilion-colored lips as she walked to her bedroom. At first she’d found it odd that although she and Sheldon lived together, they rarely encountered each other during the day. It was only at night whenever Sean did not come for a sleepover with his grandfather that they slept together.
A strapless periwinkle-blue silk gown with an empire waist and slip lay across the bed; the matching quilted jacket hung from a padded hanger in the armoire.
Twenty minutes later Renee slipped her feet into a pair of sapphire-blue silk heels and walked over to the full-length mirror on the door of armoire. She did not recognize the woman staring back at her. Her hair had been pulled off her face and pinned into a chignon at the back of her head. The style was sophisticated without being too severe.
A slight gasp escaped her as another image joined hers in the mirror. Sheldon stood behind her, resplendent in formal dress. He wore a tailored tuxedo, white spread collar dress shirt and dark blue silk tie with an aplomb she hadn’t seen on many men. Close-cropped raven hair brushed off his forehead and fell in layered precision against his scalp. The heat from his body and the tantalizing smell of his aftershave made her heart beat a little too quickly.
Sheldon placed one hand over the silk fabric artfully concealing her belly; the other circled her neck. His thumb caressed the skin over the nape of her neck as Renee’s gaze met his.
His impassive expression did not reveal what he was feeling at that moment, what lay in his heart. He had deliberately avoided Renee because he’d found himself caught in a web of desire that held him captive. Each time he encountered her he was sucked into a force field, making him helpless and vulnerable. These were familiar emotions he had not wanted to experience again.
Renee shivered as Sheldon’s forefinger toyed with the diamond stud in her right ear. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his shoulder. The shiver became a noticeable shudder as he trailed kisses along the column of her neck.
“You look incredibly beautiful, smell delicious and taste scrumptious,” he murmured against her velvety flesh.
Renee drank in his strength. “If we don’t leave now, we’re going to be late,” she said not too convincingly.
“We won’t be late, princess,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear. “Thank you, darling.”
She melted against his stronger body, her breath coming quickly. “For what, honey?” The endearment slipped out of its own accord.
“For being you, Renee.” Sheldon’s hands went to her upper arms and he turned her in his embrace. His hands came up and he cradled her face. His gaze widened, the gray orbs missing nothing. “I never thought you’d be able to improve on perfection, but you have. I’m going to be the envy of every man tonight.” Her professionally coiffed hair and makeup highlighted her best features.
/> Renee reached for his hands, pulling them down. “Is that why you asked me to go with you and paid for this dress? To show me off like one of your prize Thoroughbreds?”
A warning cloud settled into Sheldon’s features, his expression a mask of stone. “Is that what you think, Renee?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head slowly. “You don’t know, do you?”
Her waxed eyebrows lifted. “Know what?”
Without warning his expression changed, his eyes brimming with tenderness and passion. “I adore you.”
Renee’s body stiffened in shock, complete surprise on her face. Sheldon had given her everything she wanted, but she never suspected deeper feelings would become a part of their plan. She wanted to tell Sheldon she adored and loved him, too, but his confession caused the words to wedge in her throat.
“Thank you,” she whispered, recovering her voice.
Inclining his head, Sheldon forced a smile, successfully concealing his disappointment. It was apparent she did not share his sentiment.
Threads of doubt nagged at him. Was she still in love with her ex?
“Are you ready?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Chapter Eight
Renee walked out of the chapel, her hand resting on Sheldon’s sleeve. She had given him several sidelong glances as the bride and groom exchanged vows, wondering whether he had relived the moment when he’d married his young bride; however, his solemn expression had not changed.
Sheldon covered the small hand on his arm. Renee’s fingers were ice-cold. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Your hand feels cold.”
“This is one time when I’m not cold.” The temperature inside the mansion was comfortably set for the expanse of bared skin in low-cut and backless gowns.
The number of carats glittering from throats, wrists and ears of the other women present in the grand ballroom stunned Renee. The guests were Virginia’s aristocracy, with a few Washington senators and other politicians in attendance. The wedding was touted as the wedding of the year, linking heirs to two of the largest and the most profitable horse farms in the state.
Sheldon found their table and seated her. Leaning down, he pressed his mouth to her ear. “What can I get you to drink?” Guests were quickly lining up at several bars set up around the ballroom.
Renee opened her mouth to say milk, but changed her mind. “Sparkling water with a wedge of lime.”
Sheldon chuckled softly, his gaze straying from her mouth to the swell of breasts rising and falling above her revealing décolletage. “Does this mean that I’m going to have to be the designated driver tonight?”
“Hello again, Renee.” A familiar voice interrupted their interchange.
Renee glanced over her shoulder. Kent Taylor leered at her chest, a lopsided grin on his face. His attention was temporarily averted when Sheldon grabbed his hand and shook it, while pounding his back.
“When are you racing Kiss Me Kate again?”
The high color in Kent’s face deepened. He still had not recovered from his horse coming in second at the International Gold Cup. “I don’t know.” He eased his fingers from Sheldon’s firm grip. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask your lady for a dance later on tonight.”
Sheldon’s cold smile would’ve chilled most men, but Kent was too inebriated to notice. “I do mind.”
Nonplussed, Kent blinked a few times, hoping he hadn’t heard what he thought he heard. Shrugging a shoulder, he turned and walked away.
“He’s worse than a swarm of mosquitoes,” Sheldon mumbled under his breath.
Renee’s eyes narrowed. “I hope you’re not going to growl at every man who asks to dance with me. I came here tonight to have a good time.”
Sheldon hunkered down beside her chair, cradled the back of her head and pressed his mouth to hers. “And you will have a good time.”
Her dimples winked at him. “You promise.”
His smile matched hers. “I promise.”
She did have a good time as she danced with Sheldon. A band whose repertoire included more than four decades of familiar tunes replaced a string quartet that played during the meal and many toasts.
Excusing herself, Renee whispered to Sheldon that she was going to the ladies’ lounge. Making her way across the marble floor of the ballroom, she felt as if every eye was directed at her. Whenever Sheldon introduced her, he only offered her first name. Of course that made her more mysterious and others more curious.
Fortunately, she did not have to wait on line in the opulent bath and powder room. In the stall, as she adjusted her dress, she heard someone mention her name.
“Who is she?” came a soft drawling female voice.
“I don’t know.” This feminine voice was lower, more dulcet than the other woman’s. “I thought you knew who she was. After all, you went to Sheldon’s pre-race party.”
“I don’t remember her,” the first woman admitted in a hushed tone.
“Where on earth do you think Sheldon picked her up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he joined some dating service, or he could’ve picked her up in one of those so-called gentlemen’s clubs. You can find anything there.”
“What do you mean anything?”
“Women who dance topless and swing around poles.”
“Are you saying she’s a whore?”
“She doesn’t really look like a whore. But, one can never tell nowadays.”
“The cut of her dress is a little deceiving, but I think she’s in the family way.”
“Bite your tongue, Valerie Marie Winston. I can’t imagine Sheldon waiting until he’s a grandfather to start making babies again.”
“Bite your own tongue, Susanna Caroline Sullivan. You see what she looks like. The good Lord was certainly smiling on her when He handed out bosoms.”
Renee could not move. If she left the stall, then the women would know she was eavesdropping on their conversation. But she also did not intend to hide behind the door indefinitely.
“No one has seen Sheldon with a woman since Julia died. Maybe he was having a problem with you-know-what,” Valerie continued.
“Where have you been?” Susanna chided. “There are drugs for men with that kind of problem.”
Renee had heard enough. Sliding back the lock, she left the stall. The shocked expression on the women’s faces was priceless. It was impossible to tell their ages. They were the surgically altered women Sheldon had mentioned: perfect noses, collagen-enhanced lips, facelifts and expertly dyed ash-blond hair.
Smiling, she washed her hands and accepted a towel from the bathroom attendant. It was apparent Valerie and Susanna thought the woman so insignificant they could gossip in her presence. Opening her evening purse, she left a bill in the plate on the countertop before she faced the elegantly dressed women who had taken a sudden interest in powdering their noses.
Renee cradled her breasts, her gaze meeting and fusing with wide-eyed stares in the mirror. “Yes, these are mine. And to set the record straight, Sheldon Blackstone doesn’t have that particular problem.”
Head held high, back ramrod-straight, Renee strutted out of the rest room, staring down anyone whose gaze lingered longer than was sociably polite.
She found Sheldon sitting with several men as she neared their table. Vertical lines appeared between his eyes when he saw her tight-lipped expression. He stood up, the other men following suit.
Rounding the table, Sheldon cupped Renee’s elbow. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to leave,” she whispered.
“Now?”
Renee had clenched her teeth so tightly that her jaw ached. “Yes, Sheldon. Now.”
Sheldon saw something in Renee’s eyes that had never been there before, and he wondered what had set her off. He nodded to the other men. “Gentlemen. We’ll continue our conversation another time.”
“Give me a call next week, Blackstone, so we can get together.”
“Will do,” Sheldon said to a tall, lanky man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Abraham Lincoln.
He led Renee out of the ballroom and retrieved her jacket from the cloakroom. They waited, staring at each other in silence while a valet brought his car around.
Five minutes into the return drive to the farm, Sheldon broke the swollen silence. “What’s the matter, Renee?” She told him everything, including the full names of the two women who had indirectly called her a whore.
“If this is a taste of what I’m going to have to confront every time we go out together, then I want out of our agreement. They know nothing about me, yet they have the audacity to call me a whore.”
Signaling, Sheldon maneuvered the car to the shoulder of the road and stopped. He shifted into park. His eyes glittered like particles of diamond dust in the diffused light of the dashboard. “You know who you are, and I know who—”
“You know nothing about me,” Renee countered, cutting him off. “You’ve slept with me, Sheldon, yet you know nothing about me.” She willed the tears filling her eyes not to fall.
His eyes widened. “Is what you’ve told me about yourself a lie?” he asked in a dangerously soft voice.
Averting her head, she stared out the windshield. The rapid pumping of her heart echoed in her ears, the roaring sound deafening. “When you introduced me to your high-born friends why didn’t you give my full name? I’m not on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. I’m also not one of those women who make their living as Amber or Bambi for 1-900-talk-dirty-to-me.”
Sheldon shook his head. “It’s not like that, darling.”
The Blackstone Promise Page 9
